Radio frequency waveguide system nodes

ABSTRACT

A node of a radio frequency waveguide system can include a waveguide interface, a signal splitter, a power rectifier and conditioner, a communication filter, and a network processor. The waveguide interface is configured to communicate through a waveguide in the radio frequency waveguide system. The signal splitter is configured to split a radio frequency transmission received at the waveguide interface between a power path and a communications path within the node. The power rectifier and conditioner are configured to produce a conditioned power signal based on power received through the power path. The communication filter of the communications path is configured to produce a filtered communication signal. The network processor is powered by the conditioned power signal and configured to extract encoded information from the filtered communication signal.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates to electromagnetic communication, and moreparticularly to a radio frequency waveguide system with nodes.

As control and health monitoring systems become more complex, theinterconnect count between system components increases, which alsoincreases failure probabilities. With the increase in interconnects,large amounts of cabling may be used to connect sensors and actuators tocontrollers and/or diagnostic units of a machine. Long cable runs,including multiple wires, can add substantial weight and may increasesusceptibility to noise effects and/or other forms of signaldegradation. Increased wire connections can also result in a largernumber of wire harnesses to remove and attach when servicing machinecomponents. A larger number of wires and wire harnesses can increase thepossibility of damage at pin/socket interconnects, particularly when thewire harnesses are attached and detached from components.

To achieve desired control and/or health monitoring, sensing systems mayneed information from locations that can be difficult to access due tomoving parts, internal operating environment or machine configuration.The access limitations can make wire routing bulky, expensive, andpotentially vulnerable to interconnect failures. Sensor and interconnectoperating environments for desired sensor locations may exceed thecapability of interconnect systems. In some cases, cable cost, volume,and weight may exceed desired limits for practical applications.Placement options and total number of sensors and actuators that may beinstalled in a machine can be limited by wiring and connector impacts onweight, reliability, physical sizing, and operating temperaturelimitations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

According to one embodiment, a radio frequency waveguide system caninclude a waveguide interface, a signal splitter, a power rectifier andconditioner, a communication filter, and a network processor. Thewaveguide interface is configured to communicate through a waveguide inthe radio frequency waveguide system. The signal splitter is configuredto split a radio frequency transmission received at the waveguideinterface between a power path and a communications path within thenode. The power rectifier and conditioner are configured to produce aconditioned power signal based on power received through the power path.The communication filter of the communications path is configured toproduce a filtered communication signal. The network processor ispowered by the conditioned power signal and configured to extractencoded information from the filtered communication signal.

In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, oras an alternative, further embodiments may include a control processorconfigured to interface with a sensor and/or an actuator and tocommunicate with the network processor, where the control processor ispowered by the conditioned power signal.

In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, oras an alternative, further embodiments may include a sensor/actuatorinterface interposed between the control processor and the sensor and/orthe actuator, where the sensor/actuator interface is powered by theconditioned power signal and configured to provide power to the sensorand/or the actuator.

In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, oras an alternative, further embodiments may include a power filter of thepower path.

In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, oras an alternative, further embodiments may include where the powerrectifier and conditioner includes a power splitter coupled to two ormore rectification paths.

In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, oras an alternative, further embodiments may include a power thresholdtrigger configured to selectively output the conditioned power signalbased on a power level output exceeding a power threshold.

In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, oras an alternative, further embodiments may include where thecommunication filter is configured to extract the filtered communicationsignal from a portion of the radio frequency transmission received atthe waveguide interface.

According to another embodiment, a system for a machine can include anetwork of a plurality of nodes distributed throughout the machine, eachof the nodes associated with at least one sensor and/or actuator of themachine and operable to communicate through one or more radiofrequencies. The system can also include a plurality of waveguidesconfigured to guide transmission of the one or more radio frequencies toand from at least one of the nodes, where the at least one of the nodesincludes: a waveguide interface configured to communicate through atleast one of the waveguides, a signal splitter configured to split aradio frequency transmission received at the waveguide interface betweena power path and a communications path within the node, a powerrectifier and conditioner configured to produce a conditioned powersignal based on power received through the power path, a communicationfilter of the communications path configured to produce a filteredcommunication signal, and a network processor powered by the conditionedpower signal and configured to extract encoded information from thefiltered communication signal.

In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, oras an alternative, further embodiments may include where the at leastone of the nodes includes a control processor configured to interfacewith a sensor and/or an actuator of the at least one sensor and/oractuator of the machine and to communicate with the network processor,where the control processor is powered by the conditioned power signal.

In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, oras an alternative, further embodiments may include where the at leastone of the nodes includes a sensor/actuator interface interposed betweenthe control processor and the sensor and/or the actuator, where thesensor/actuator interface is powered by the conditioned power signal andconfigured to provide power to the sensor and/or the actuator.

In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, oras an alternative, further embodiments may include where the at leastone of the nodes includes a power filter of the power path.

According to another embodiment, a method can include receiving a radiofrequency transmission through a waveguide at a waveguide interface of anode in a radio frequency waveguide system comprising a plurality ofnodes. The radio frequency transmission can be split between a powerpath and a communications path within the node. Power rectification andconditioning can be applied to power received through the power path toproduce a conditioned power signal. Power can be provided to a networkprocessor of the node based on the conditioned power signal. Acommunication filter can be applied to a communications path signal ofthe communications path to produce a filtered communication signal. Thefiltered communication signal can be provided to the network processorof the node to extract encoded information.

In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, oras an alternative, further embodiments may include interfacing a controlprocessor with the network processor and a sensor and/or an actuator,where the control processor is powered by the conditioned power signal.

In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, oras an alternative, further embodiments may include performing powerfiltering of the power path.

In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, oras an alternative, further embodiments may include outputting theconditioned power signal based on a power threshold trigger detecting apower level output exceeding a power threshold.

A technical effect of the apparatus, systems and methods is achieved bya radio frequency waveguide system as described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following descriptions should not be considered limiting in any way.With reference to the accompanying drawings, like elements are numberedalike:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a gas turbine engine as an exampleof a machine;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a guided electromagnetic transmissionnetwork in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a configuration including an interfacenode of a radio frequency waveguide system configured to communicatewith end nodes through a wired interface in accordance with anembodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a configuration including an interfacenode of a radio frequency waveguide system configured to communicatewith an end node through a pin adapter interface in accordance with anembodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a configuration including an interfacenode of a radio frequency waveguide system combined with an end node inaccordance with an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a portion of a radio frequency waveguidesystem in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a portion of a node of a radio frequencywaveguide system in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure; and

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a method in accordance with anembodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the disclosedapparatus and method are presented herein by way of exemplification andnot limitation with reference to the Figures.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are related toelectromagnetic communication through and to components of a machine.FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a gas turbine engine 20 as one exampleof a machine as further described herein. The gas turbine engine 20 isdepicted as a two-spool turbofan that generally incorporates a fansection 22, a compressor section 24, a combustor section 26 and aturbine section 28. The fan section 22 drives air along a bypass flowpath B in a bypass duct to provide a majority of the thrust, while thecompressor section 24 drives air along a core flow path C forcompression and communication into the combustor section 26 thenexpansion through the turbine section 28. Although depicted as atwo-spool turbofan gas turbine engine in the disclosed non-limitingembodiment, it should be understood that the concepts described hereinare not limited to use with two-spool turbofans as the teachings may beapplied to other types of turbine engines including three-spoolarchitectures or any other machine that requires sensors to operate withsimilar environmental challenges or constraints. Additionally, theconcepts described herein may be applied to any machine or systemcomprised of control and/or health monitoring systems, for instance, inan aerospace environment. Other examples of machines in whichembodiments can be implemented include an internal combustion engine,manufacturing machinery, submarine, aircraft, automobile, or any othermachine with control and sensing components.

With continued reference to FIG. 1 , the exemplary engine 20 generallyincludes a low speed spool 30 and a high speed spool 32 mounted forrotation about an engine central longitudinal axis A relative to anengine static structure 36 via several bearing systems 38. It should beunderstood that various bearing systems 38 at various locations mayalternatively or additionally be provided, and the location of bearingsystems 38 may be varied as appropriate to the application.

The low speed spool 30 generally includes an inner shaft 40 thatinterconnects a fan 42, a first (or low) pressure compressor 44 and afirst (or low) pressure turbine 46. The inner shaft 40 is connected tothe fan 42 through a speed change mechanism, which in exemplary gasturbine engine 20 is illustrated as a geared architecture 48 to drivethe fan 42 at a lower speed than the low speed spool 30. The high speedspool 32 includes an outer shaft 50 that interconnects a second (orhigh) pressure compressor 52 and a second (or high) pressure turbine 54.A combustor 56 is arranged in exemplary gas turbine engine 20 betweenthe high pressure compressor 52 and the high pressure turbine 54. Amid-turbine frame 58 of the engine static structure 36 is arrangedgenerally between the high pressure turbine 54 and the low pressureturbine 46. The mid-turbine frame 58 further supports bearing systems 38in the turbine section 28. The inner shaft 40 and the outer shaft 50 areconcentric and rotate via bearing systems 38 about the engine centrallongitudinal axis A which is collinear with their longitudinal axes.

The core airflow is compressed by the low pressure compressor 44 thenthe high pressure compressor 52, mixed and burned with fuel in thecombustor 56, then expanded over the high pressure turbine 54 and lowpressure turbine 46. The mid-turbine frame 58 includes airfoils 60 whichare in the core airflow path C. The turbines 46, 54 rotationally drivethe respective low speed spool 30 and high speed spool 32 in response tothe expansion. It will be appreciated that each of the positions of thefan section 22, compressor section 24, combustor section 26, turbinesection 28, and fan drive gear system 48 may be varied. For example,gear system 48 may be located aft of combustor section 26 or even aft ofturbine section 28, and fan section 22 may be positioned forward or aftof the location of gear system 48. In direct drive configurations, thegear system 48 can be omitted.

The engine 20 in one example is a high-bypass geared aircraft engine.Low pressure turbine 46 pressure ratio is pressure measured prior toinlet of low pressure turbine 46 as related to the pressure at theoutlet of the low pressure turbine 46 prior to an exhaust nozzle. Asignificant amount of thrust can be provided by the bypass flow B due tothe high bypass ratio. The example low pressure turbine 46 can providethe driving power to rotate the fan section 22 and therefore therelationship between the number of turbine rotors 34 in the low pressureturbine 46 and the number of blades in the fan section 22 can establishincreased power transfer efficiency.

The disclosed example gas turbine engine 20 includes a control andhealth monitoring system 64 (generally referred to as system 64)utilized to monitor component performance and function. The system 64includes a network 65, which is an example of a guided electromagnetictransmission network. The network 65 includes a controller 66 operableto communicate with nodes 68 a, 68 b through electromagnetic signals.The nodes 68 a, 68 b can be distributed throughout the gas turbineengine 20 or other such machine. Node 68 a is an example of an actuatornode that can drive one or more actuators/effectors of the gas turbineengine 20. Node 68 b is an example of a sensor node that can interfacewith one or more sensors of the gas turbine engine 20. Nodes 68 a, 68 bcan include processing support circuitry to transmit/receiveelectromagnetic signals between sensors or actuators and the controller66. A coupler 67 can be configured as a splitter between a waveguide 70coupled to the controller 66 and waveguides 71 and 72 configured toestablish wireless communication with nodes 68 a and 68 b respectively.The coupler 67 can be a simple splitter or may include a repeaterfunction to condition electromagnetic signals sent between thecontroller 66 and nodes 68 a, 68 b. In the example of FIG. 1 , a radiofrequency-based repeater 76 is interposed between the coupler 67 andnode 68 b, where waveguide 72 is a first waveguide coupled to thecoupler 67 and radio frequency-based repeater 76, and waveguide 73 is asecond waveguide coupled to the radio frequency-based repeater 76 andnode 68 b. Collectively, waveguides 70, 71, 72, 73 are configured toguide transmission of the radio frequencies (e.g., electromagneticsignals) between the controller 66 and one or more of the nodes 68 a, 68b. The transmission media within waveguides 70-73 may include dielectricor gaseous material. In embodiments, the waveguides 70-73 can be hollowmetal tubes. The waveguides 70-73 may be rigid or may include flexiblematerial. The disclosed system 64 may be utilized to control and/ormonitor any component function or characteristic of a turbomachine,aircraft component operation, and/or other machines.

Prior control & diagnostic system architectures utilized in variousapplications include a centralized system architecture in which theprocessing functions reside in an electronic control module. Actuatorand sensor communications were accomplished through analog wiring forpower, command, position feedback, sensor excitation and sensor signals.Cables and connections include shielding to minimize effects caused byelectromagnetic interference (EMI). The use of analog wiring and therequired connections can limit application and capability of suchsystems due to the ability to locate wires, connectors and electronicsin harsh environments that experience extremes in temperature, pressure,and/or vibration. Exemplary embodiments can use radio frequencies guidedby the waveguides 70-73 in a wireless architecture to provide bothelectromagnetic communication signals and power to the individualelements of the network 65.

The use of electromagnetic radiation in the form of radio waves (MHz toGHz) to communicate and power the sensors and actuators using atraditionally complex wired system provides substantial architecturalsimplification, especially as it pertains to size, weight, and power(SWaP). Embodiments provide extension of a network where reduced SNR maycompromise network performance by trading off data rates for anexpansion of the number of nodes and distribution lines; therebyproviding more nodes/sensors, with greater interconnectivity.

Referring to FIG. 2 , a guided electromagnetic transmission network 100is depicted as an example expansion of the network 65 of FIG. 1 . Theguided electromagnetic transmission network 100 can include thecontroller 66 coupled to coupler 67 through waveguide 170. The coupler67 is further coupled to coupler 67 a through waveguide 171 and tocoupler 67 b through waveguide 172. Coupler 67 a is further coupled tothree nodes 68 a through waveguides 173 a, 173 b, 173 c in parallel.Each of the nodes 68 a can interface or be combined with multipleactuators 102. Coupler 67 b is also coupled to two nodes 68 b throughwaveguides 174 a, 174 b in parallel. Each of the nodes 68 b caninterface or be combined with multiple sensors 104. Although the exampleof FIG. 2 depicts connections to actuators 102 and sensors 104 isolatedto different branches, it will be understood that actuators 102 andsensors 104 can be interspersed with each other and need not be isolatedon dedicated branches of the guided electromagnetic transmission network100. Couplers 67, 67 a, 67 b can be splitters and/or can incorporateinstances of the radio frequency-based repeater 76 of FIG. 1 . Further,one or more instances of the radio frequency-based repeater 76 can beinstalled at any of the waveguides 170, 171, 172, 173 a-c, and/or 174a-b depending on the signal requirements of the guided electromagnetictransmission network 100.

Nodes 68 a, 68 b can be associated with particular engine components,actuators or any other machine part from which information andcommunication is performed for monitoring and/or control purposes. Thenodes 68 a, 68 b may contain a single or multiple electronic circuits orsensors configured to communicate over the guided electromagnetictransmission network 100.

The controller 66 can send and receive power and data to and from thenodes 68 a, 68 b. The controller 66 may be located on equipment nearother system components or located remotely as desired to meetapplication requirements.

A transmission path (TP) between the controller 66 and nodes 68 a, 68 bcan be used to send and receive data routed through the controller 66from a control module or other components. The TP may utilize waveguidesfor electromagnetic communication including radio frequency/microwaveelectromagnetic energy. The interface between the controller 66 andnodes 68 a, 68 b can transmit power and communication signals.

The example nodes 68 a, 68 b may include radio-frequency identificationdevices along with processing, memory and/or the interfaces to connectto conventional sensors or actuators, such as solenoids orelectro-hydraulic servo valves. The waveguides 170, 171, 172, 173 a-c,and/or 174 a-b can be shielded paths that support electromagneticcommunication, including, for instance, radio frequency, microwaves,magnetic or optic waveguide transmission. Shielding can be provided suchthat electromagnetic energy or light interference 85 withelectromagnetic signals 86 (shown schematically as arrows) are mitigatedin the guided electromagnetic transmission network 100. Moreover, theshielding provides that the electromagnetic signals 86 are less likelyto propagate into the environment outside the guided electromagnetictransmission network 100 and provide unauthorized access to information.In some embodiments, guided electromagnetic radiation is in the range1-100 GHz. Electromagnetic radiation can be more tightly arranged aroundspecific carrier frequencies, such as 3-4.5 GHz, 24 GHz, 60 GHz, or76-77 GHz as examples in the microwave spectrum. One or more carrierfrequencies can transmit electric power, as well as communicateinformation, to multiple nodes 68 a, 68 b using various modulation andsignaling techniques.

The nodes 68 a with actuators 102 may include control devices, such as asolenoid, switch or other physical actuation devices. Radio frequencyidentification, electromagnetic or optical devices implemented as thenodes 68 b with sensors 104 can provide information indicative of aphysical parameter, such as pressure, temperature, speed, proximity,vibration, identification, and/or other parameters used for identifying,monitoring or controlling component operation. Signals communicated inthe guided electromagnetic transmission network 100 may employtechniques such as checksums, hash algorithms, error control algorithmsand/or encryption to mitigate cyber security threats and interference.

The guided electromagnetic transmission network 100 may be installed ina mixed temperature environment, such as a machine having a hotterportion and a cooler portion. In reference to the example of FIG. 1 ,the fan section 22 and compressor section 24 of the gas turbine engine20 can be designated as cooler portions relative to hotter portions ofthe gas turbine engine 20, such as the combustor section 26 and turbinesection 28. To further accommodate the temperature variations within thegas turbine engine 20, a variety of approaches can be used. As oneexample, electronics devices within the nodes 68 a, 68 b, actuators 102,and/or sensors 104 can include wide band gap semiconductor devices, suchas silicon carbide or gallium nitride devices supporting higheroperating temperatures than typical semiconductor devices. Placement ofthe nodes 68 a, 68 b can also impact performance capabilities in thehotter portion of the machine. Where actuators 102 or sensors 104 areneeded at locations that would potentially exceed the desired operatingtemperature of the nodes 68 a, 68 b that directly interface with theactuators 102 or sensors 104, relatively short wired connections,referred to as “pigtails” can be used between the nodes 68 a, 68 b andthe actuators 102 or sensors 104. The pigtail wiring can provide thermalseparation and may support the use of legacy wired actuators 102 andsensors 104 to connect with nodes 68 a, 68 b. Further temperatureaccommodations may include cooling systems, heat sinks, and the like.

In some embodiments, shielding in the guided electromagnetictransmission network 100 can be provided such that power andcommunication signals are shielded from outside interference, which maybe caused by environmental electromagnetic or optic interference.Moreover, the shielding limits intentional interference 85 withcommunication at each component. Intentional interference 85 may takethe form of unauthorized data capture, data insertion, generaldisruption and/or any other action that degrades system communication.Environmental sources of interference 85 may originate from noisegenerated from proximate electrical systems in other components ormachinery along with electrostatic and magnetic fields, and/or anybroadcast signals from transmitters or receivers. Additionally,environmental phenomena, such as cosmic radio frequency radiation,lightning or other atmospheric effects, could interfere with localelectromagnetic communications.

It should be appreciated that while the system 64 is explained by way ofexample with regard to a gas turbine engine 20, other machines andmachine designs can be modified to incorporate built-in shielding formonitored or controlled components in a guided electromagnetictransmission network. For example, the system 64 can be incorporated ina variety of harsh environment machines, such as manufacturing andprocessing equipment, a vehicle system, an environmental control system,and all the like. As a further example, the system 64 can beincorporated in an aerospace system, such as an aircraft, rotorcraft,spacecraft, satellite, or the like. The disclosed system 64 includes thenetwork 65, 100 that provides consistent communication withelectromagnetic devices, such as the example nodes 68 a, 68 b, andremoves variables encountered with electromagnetic communications suchas distance between transmitters and receiving devices, physicalgeometry in the field of transmission, control over transmission mediasuch as air or fluids, control over air or fluid contamination throughthe use of filtering or isolation and knowledge of temperature andpressure.

The system 64 provides for a reduction in cable and interconnectingsystems to reduce cost and increases reliability by reducing the numberof physical interconnections. Reductions in cable and connecting systemsfurther provides for a reduction in weight while enabling additionalredundancy. Moreover, additional sensors can be added without the needfor additional wiring and physical connections to the controller 66,which may provide for increased system accuracy and response.Embodiments can provide a “plug-n-play” approach to add a new node,potentially without a requalification of the entire system but only thenew component; thereby greatly reducing qualification burdens.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a configuration 200 including an interfacenode 68 of a radio frequency waveguide system, such as system 64 of FIG.1 , configured to communicate with end nodes 202 through a wiredinterface 204. The interface node 68 can be a generalized example ofnodes 68 a, 68 b of FIGS. 1 and 2 , where the end nodes 202 may includeone or more actuators 102, one or more sensors 104, or a combinationthereof. The interface node 68 can also be generally referred to as anode 68. The wired interface 204 may be a pigtail connection allowingfor a relatively short length of wire to connect the interface node 68with the end nodes 202. For instance, the length of the wired interface204 may enable the interface node 68 to be placed in a relatively coolerportion of a machine than where the end nodes 202 are located, such asin a bypass duct or proximate to a cooling side of a heat exchanger. Thewired interface 204 enables the interface node 68 to electricallyinterface with the end nodes 202 while supporting radio frequencycommunication 206 with other system components through one or morewaveguides 208, 210, 212, couplers 67, and other such system elements aspreviously described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2 .

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a configuration 300 including an interfacenode 68 of a radio frequency waveguide system, such as system 64 of FIG.1 , configured to communication with an end node 202 through a pinadapter interface 302. The interface node 68 can be a generalizedexample of nodes 68 a, 68 b of FIGS. 1 and 2 , where the end node 202may be an actuator 102 or sensor 104. The pin adapter interface 302 canenable a direct connection between the interface node 68 and the endnode 202 without a larger physical separation of the wired interface 204of FIG. 3 . The pin adapter interface 302 may have a socket connectionto support in-field replacement of the end node 202 without replacingthe interface node 68. Alternatively, the pin adapter interface 302 maybe more securely coupled, for instance, by soldering or otherwisecoupling pins of the end node 202 to the interface node 68. The pinadapter interface 302 enables the interface node 68 to electricallyinterface with the end nodes 202 while supporting radio frequencycommunication 206 with other system components through one or morewaveguides 208, 210, 212, couplers 67, and other such system elements aspreviously described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2 . The pin adapterinterface 302 may be a lighter weight than the wired interface 204 ofFIG. 3 . In contrast, the interface node 68 in configuration 300 may beplaced in closer proximity to a same temperature environment of end node202 than in configuration 200 of FIG. 3 .

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a configuration 400 including an interfacenode 68 of a radio frequency waveguide system, such as system 64 of FIG.1 , disposed in a shared housing 402 with an end node 202. The interfacenode 68 can be a generalized example of nodes 68 a, 68 b of FIGS. 1 and2 , where the end node 202 may include one or more actuators 102, one ormore sensors 104, or a combination thereof within the shared housing402. The shared housing 402 combines the interface node 68 and end node202 as a line replaceable unit. The interface node 68 and end node 202may be electrically coupled within the shared housing 402, while theinterface node 68 supports radio frequency communication 206 with othersystem components through one or more waveguides 208, 210, 212, couplers67, and other such system elements as previously described with respectto FIGS. 1 and 2 .

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a portion of a radio frequency waveguidesystem 500 illustrating further details of controller 66, interface node68, and end nodes 202. In the example of FIG. 6 , the controller 66 isdepicted as a dual channel controller, where a first channel 502 and asecond channel 504 can each include a communication interface 506, aprocessing system 508, and a memory system 510. The communicationinterface 506 can use a software defined radio or other protocol tosupport communication using electromagnetic signals. The processingsystem 508 can include any type or combination of central processingunit (CPU), including one or more of: a microprocessor, a digital signalprocessor (DSP), a microcontroller, an application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or the likesupported in the expected operating environment. The memory system 510may include random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), or otherelectronic, optical, magnetic, or any other computer readable mediumonto which data and algorithms are stored in a non-transitory form.

A radio frequency communication link 512 between the controller 66 andinterface node 68 can be shared by both the first channel 502 and secondchannel 504, or each channel 502, 504 may have independent radiofrequency communication links 512 to one or more instances of theinterface node 68. The controller 66 may also provide a power link 514to the interface node 68. The radio frequency communication link 512 andpower link 514 can be transmitted through radio frequencies within asame waveguide 516.

The interface node 68 can include a waveguide interface 519 configuredto receive a radio frequency transmission through waveguide 516 in theradio frequency waveguide system 500. The waveguide interface 519 caninclude one or more radio frequency antennas 520 to receive and/or sendtransmissions between the interface node 68 and the controller 66 and/orother nodes. The waveguide interface 519 need not include the one ormore radio frequency antennas 520 but may instead use a rectenna, atransformer, a waveguide adaptor, or other such structure to supportsignal/power transmission and reception through the waveguide 516. Theinterface node 68 can also include a signal splitter 522 configured tosplit the radio frequency transmission between a power path 524 and acommunications path 526 within the node 68. A power filter 528 of thepower path 524 is configured to produce a filtered power signal 530. Apower rectifier 532 and conditioner 534 (also referred to as powerconditioning circuit 534) are configured to produce a conditioned powersignal 536. A communication filter 538 of the communications path 526can be configured to produce a filtered communication signal 540. Thepower filter 528 and/or the communication filter 538 can be implementedusing various filter components and structures. For example, the powerfilter 528 and/or the communication filter 538 can be implemented usingbulk acoustic wave filters, feedthrough filters, waveguide filters,metallization-based filters, and other such structures. As such, aportion of the filtering may be performed external to the interface node68, such as, within the waveguide 516 coupled to the waveguide interface519.

The interface node 68 can also include a network processor 542 poweredby the conditioned power signal 536 and configured to extract encodedinformation from the filtered communication signal 540. A controlprocessor 544 can be configured to interface with one or more sensors104 and/or actuators 102 and to communicate with the network processor542. The control processor 544 can be powered by the conditioned powersignal 536. A sensor/actuator interface 546 can be interposed betweenthe control processor 544 and the sensors 104 and/or the actuators 102.The sensor/actuator interface 546 can be powered by the conditionedpower signal 536 and configured to provide power to the sensors 104and/or the actuators 102, for instance, through electrical interfacing554, 552 respectively. The electrical interfacing 554, 552 can includeuse of the wired interface 204 of FIG. 3 , the pin adapter interface 302of FIG. 4 , and/or a direct connection within the shared housing 402 ofFIG. 5 . In some embodiments, the conditioned power signal 536 mayreceive power from an alternate or supplemental source 550. For example,a battery backup or external power supply can be used as the alternateor supplemental source 550 to supplement power transmissions through theradio frequency waveguide system 500.

Electrical components within the interface node 68 can be made ofhigh-temperature capable materials using, for example passive elementsand/or semiconductor diodes to survive high temperatures, such as anengine core. For instance, components can be made of one or more wideband gap semiconductors. Materials for high-temperature application caninclude silicon carbide, gallium nitride, aluminum nitride, aluminumscrandium nitride, and other such materials. This can enable theinterface node 68 to be placed in a hotter portion of a machine, such asthe gas turbine engine 20, while the controller 66 may be at a coolerlocation, such as on a fan case of the fan section 22.

Processing performed by the control processor 544 can include signalfiltering, engineering unit conversion, fault detection, faultisolation, and built-in test, for example. The network processor 542 canperform communication management for receiving and sending data on theradio frequency communication link 512. Depending on the processingcapacity of the control processor 544 and network processor 542, moreadvanced sensing and detection algorithms can be locally incorporated tooffload some processing burdens of the controller 66. Lower-level signalconditioning can be handled by the sensor/actuator interface 546, suchas analog filtering, sampling, conversions, excitation signalgeneration, and other such functions. Although depicted separately, thenetwork processor 542, the control processor 544, and/or thesensor/actuator interface 546 can be combined or further subdivided.

FIG. 7 depicts an example of a portion of the interface node 68 of theradio frequency waveguide system 500 of FIG. 6 in greater detail. Anantenna feed 602 can link the waveguide interface 519 of FIG. 6 , suchas one or more radio frequency antennas 520 of FIG. 6 , to the signalsplitter 522 that performs power and signal splitting with respect tothe power path 524 and the communications path 526. The power filter 528can be implemented, for example, as a bandpass filter formed as a firstmetallization pattern on a circuit board 600 of the interface node 68 inthe example of FIG. 7 . Alternatively, the power filter 528 may beomitted or implemented using other filter structures/components, such asa combination of high pass and low pass filters or a combination ofstopband filters. The power filter 528 can be omitted, for instance,where the signal and power splitter 522 is implemented as a diplexerthat incorporates splitting and filtering components. The powerrectifier 532 and conditioner 534 can be implemented, for example, as apower splitter 606 coupled to two or more rectification paths 608, andeach of the rectification paths 608 can be coupled to a powerconditioning circuit 534. The power splitter 606 can receive thefiltered power signal 530 from the power filter 528. The two or morerectification paths 608 can include a second metallization pattern onthe circuit board 600 of the interface node 68 or be implemented usingother filter structures/components. For instance, the use ofmetallization patterns in the two or more rectification paths 608 canincorporate rectification filters. The power conditioning circuitry 534can include a power threshold trigger 612 configured to selectivelyoutput the conditioned power signal 536 of FIG. 6 based on a power leveloutput exceeding a power threshold. The power threshold trigger 612 canhelp to ensure that components of the interface node 68 are notpartially powered which could result in an indeterminate or error stateof operation. Further, the communication filter 538 can be configured toextract the filtered communication signal 540 of FIG. 6 from a portionof the radio frequency transmission received at the radio frequencyantenna 520. Where the signal and power splitter 522 is implemented as adiplexer that incorporates splitting and filtering components, thecommunication filter 538 may be omitted or modified. A board-to-boardjumper 616 can be used to connect the output of the communication filter538 to another printed circuit board that may include devices andinterfaces, such as the network processor 542, control processor 544,and sensor/actuator interface 546 of FIG. 6 . The combined printedcircuit boards may have a compact footprint, such as about 1.2 inches by1.2 inches (i.e., about 3 cm by 3 cm). Although the example of FIG. 7depicts two rectification paths 608, embodiments can include any numberof rectification paths as needed depending on power level requirementsand other such constraints.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a method 700 of establishingelectromagnetic communication through one or more nodes in a machine,such as the gas turbine engine 20 of FIG. 1 in accordance with anembodiment. The method 700 of FIG. 8 is described in reference to FIGS.1-7 and may be performed with an alternate order and include additionalsteps. Further steps can be performed in parallel and are notnecessarily sequential actions. For purposes of explanation, the method700 is primarily described in reference to FIG. 6 but can also beimplemented on the system 64 of FIG. 1 , the guided electromagnetictransmission network 100 of FIG. 2 , and other network variations and avariety of machines. The machine may operate in or produce a mixedtemperature environment including higher temperatures (e.g., >150degrees C.) beyond the normal range of microelectronics, which istypically less than 100 degrees C. The local temperature at differentsections of the machine can vary substantially, such as upstream fromcombustion, at a fuel combustion location, and downstream fromcombustion.

At block 702, a radio frequency transmission is received through awaveguide 516 at a waveguide interface 519, such as at one or more radiofrequency antennas 520 of a node 68 in a radio frequency waveguidesystem 500 that can include a plurality of nodes. Examples can includenodes 68, 68 a, 68 b, and the machine can be the gas turbine engine 20of FIG. 1 .

At block 704, the radio frequency transmission is split between a powerpath 524 and a communications path 526 within the node 68.

At block 706, a power filter 528 can be applied to a power path signalof the power path 524 to produce a filtered power signal 530.Alternatively, power filtering can be performed integrally with othercomponents.

At block 708, power rectification and conditioning can be applied bypower rectifier 532 and conditioner 534 to produce a conditioned powersignal 536 based on power received through the power path 524. Forinstance, the filtered power signal 530 can be rectified and furtherconditioned using one or more bandpass filters.

At block 710, power can be provided to a network processor 542 of thenode 68 based on the conditioned power signal 536.

At block 712, a communication filter 538 can be applied to acommunications path signal of the communications path 526 to produce afiltered communication signal 540.

At block 714, the filtered communication signal 540 can be provided tothe network processor 542 of the node 68 to extract encoded information.A control processor 544 can be interfaced with the network processor 542and a sensor 104 and/or an actuator 102. The control processor 544 canbe powered by the conditioned power signal 536.

In embodiments, the nodes 68, 68 a, 68 b can be portions of a network 65configured to communicate through a plurality of electromagneticsignals, where the nodes 68, 68 a, 68 b are distributed throughout themachine, such as the gas turbine engine 20. Multiple nodes 68, 68 a, 68b can be used in a complete system 64 to take advantage of architecturescalability. Each of the nodes 68, 68 a, 68 b can be associated with atleast one actuator 102 or sensor 104 of the gas turbine engine 20. Forexample, one or more of the nodes 68, 68 a, 68 b can be located at oneor more of a fan section 22, a compressor section 24, a combustorsection 26, and/or a turbine section 28 of the gas turbine engine 20.

A variety of node configurations can be supported, and the nodeconfigurations can be mixed within the network. For example, at leastone of the nodes 68 a, 68 b can be an interface node 68 thatcommunicates with one or more end nodes 202. One or more end nodes 202can be coupled to the interface node 68 through a wired interface 204.As further example, the one or more end nodes 202 can be coupled to theinterface node 68 through a pin adapter interface 302. As anotherexample, the one or more end nodes 202 can be coupled to the interfacenode 68 and disposed in a shared housing 402.

The term “about” is intended to include the degree of error associatedwith measurement of the particular quantity based upon the equipmentavailable at the time of filing the application. For example, “about”can include a range of ±8% or 5%, or 2% of a given value.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the presentdisclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” areintended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms“comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification,specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations,elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence oraddition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,element components, and/or groups thereof.

While the present disclosure has been described with reference to anexemplary embodiment or embodiments, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents maybe substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope ofthe present disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made toadapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the presentdisclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof.Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure not be limited tothe particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated forcarrying out this present disclosure, but that the present disclosurewill include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A node of a radio frequency waveguide system, thenode comprising: a waveguide interface configured to communicate througha waveguide in the radio frequency waveguide system; a signal splitterconfigured to split a radio frequency transmission received at thewaveguide interface between a power path and a communications pathwithin the node; a power rectifier and conditioner configured to producea conditioned power signal based on power received through the powerpath; a communication filter of the communications path configured toproduce a filtered communication signal; and a network processor poweredby the conditioned power signal and configured to extract encodedinformation from the filtered communication signal.
 2. The node of claim1, further comprising: a control processor configured to interface witha sensor and/or an actuator and to communicate with the networkprocessor, wherein the control processor is powered by the conditionedpower signal.
 3. The node of claim 2, further comprising: asensor/actuator interface interposed between the control processor andthe sensor and/or the actuator, wherein the sensor/actuator interface ispowered by the conditioned power signal and configured to provide powerto the sensor and/or the actuator.
 4. The node of claim 1, furthercomprising a power filter of the power path.
 5. The node of claim 4,wherein the power rectifier and conditioner comprises a power splittercoupled to two or more rectification paths.
 6. The node of claim 5,further comprising a power threshold trigger configured to selectivelyoutput the conditioned power signal based on a power level outputexceeding a power threshold.
 7. The node of claim 1, wherein thecommunication filter is configured to extract the filtered communicationsignal from a portion of the radio frequency transmission received atthe waveguide interface.
 8. A system for a machine, the systemcomprising: a network of a plurality of nodes distributed throughout themachine, each of the nodes associated with at least one sensor and/oractuator of the machine and operable to communicate through one or moreradio frequencies; and a plurality of waveguides configured to guidetransmission of the one or more radio frequencies to and from at leastone of the nodes, wherein the at least one of the nodes comprises: awaveguide interface configured to communicate through at least one ofthe waveguides; a signal splitter configured to split a radio frequencytransmission received at the waveguide interface between a power pathand a communications path within the node; a power rectifier andconditioner configured to produce a conditioned power signal based onpower received through the power path; a communication filter of thecommunications path configured to produce a filtered communicationsignal; and a network processor powered by the conditioned power signaland configured to extract encoded information from the filteredcommunication signal.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least oneof the nodes comprises: a control processor configured to interface witha sensor and/or an actuator of the at least one sensor and/or actuatorof the machine and to communicate with the network processor, whereinthe control processor is powered by the conditioned power signal. 10.The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one of the nodes comprises:a sensor/actuator interface interposed between the control processor andthe sensor and/or the actuator, wherein the sensor/actuator interface ispowered by the conditioned power signal and configured to provide powerto the sensor and/or the actuator.
 11. The system of claim 8, whereinthe at least one of the nodes comprises a power filter of the powerpath.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the power rectifier andconditioner comprises a power splitter coupled to two or morerectification paths.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at leastone of the nodes comprises: a power threshold trigger configured toselectively output the conditioned power signal based on a power leveloutput exceeding a power threshold.
 14. The system of claim 8, whereinthe communication filter is configured to extract the filteredcommunication signal from a portion of the radio frequency transmissionreceived at the waveguide interface.
 15. A method comprising: receivinga radio frequency transmission through a waveguide at a waveguideinterface of a node in a radio frequency waveguide system comprising aplurality of nodes; splitting the radio frequency transmission between apower path and a communications path within the node; applying powerrectification and conditioning to power received through the power pathto produce a conditioned power signal; providing power to a networkprocessor of the node based on the conditioned power signal; applying acommunication filter to a communications path signal of thecommunications path to produce a filtered communication signal; andproviding the filtered communication signal to the network processor ofthe node to extract encoded information.
 16. The method of claim 15,further comprising: interfacing a control processor with the networkprocessor and a sensor and/or an actuator, wherein the control processoris powered by the conditioned power signal.
 17. The method of claim 15,further comprising performing power filtering of the power path.
 18. Themethod of claim 17, wherein the power rectification and conditioning areperformed by a power splitter coupled to two or more rectificationpaths.
 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising: outputting theconditioned power signal based on a power threshold trigger detecting apower level output exceeding a power threshold.
 20. The method of claim15, wherein the communication filter is configured to extract thefiltered communication signal from a portion of the radio frequencytransmission received at the waveguide interface.